Many people are interested in fungi because they are edible.
But everyone also knows that wild fungi can be both delicious and deadly
poisonous. Unfortunately, there is no simple way of saying what is edible and
what is poisonous. The best way of sensibly eating wild fungi is to follow the
guidelines below and to stick to a small number of easily recognisable, but
tasty, species. Many poisonings occur when people are experimenting with odd
species.

If you think you or someone you
know has been poisoned but eating a wild fungus, please contact the Irish
National Poisons Information Centreimmediately
(or equivalent in your country). If possible keep a specimen of the
fungus you ate. You will need to describe it as well as possible. In the
Northern Ireland Fungus we are only amateur mycologists and may not be
able to help. Fungi are difficult, sometimes impossible, to identify from
a photograph alone and we may not be immediately contactable.

There has also been some concern about the concentrations of metals
such as arsenic, cadmium, copper and lead in wild fungi. MAFF (the
Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) organised a survey of wild
fungi. The conclusions
of this survey were that the consumption of wild fungi in normal
quantities did not pose any significant health risk.

The Northern Ireland Fungus Group cannot accept
responsibility or liability for a poisoning incident based on the contents of
this page. Each case of cooking for the pot is an unique event and the
identification of specimens is the responsibility is the person doing the
cooking. Different individuals may also react to species that are described in
the literature as "edible". It is thus prudent to be careful and
follow the guidelines below.

How
to avoid mushroom poisoning(adapted
from Shelley Evans' guidelines in "Guides for the Amateur Mycologist - No.4
Guide for the Kitchen Collector: Preservation and Cooking of Fungi. BMS, 1994)

1. Unfamiliar Species: Check and re-check your
identification, especially looking out for a similar poisonous species. If still
in doubt, ask an expert or throw it away.

2. Examine each specimen. Always check each specimen in
case a different species has got in amongst your collection of edible ones.

3. Keep your collections separate. Do not mix edible and
non-edible species in a collecting tray if you are collecting for the pot. It is
a good idea if collecting for the pot to only collect edible species and not
other species for identification purposes.

4. Check the spore print. A simple operation, leaving a
cap on some paper and covering for an hour or so. This will help check your
identification.

6. Retain an uncooked specimen. This is a very sensible
idea. Keep one example of what you have eaten in the fridge. In case, you do
poison yourself, this will help others identify what you have eaten and
therefore know how to treat you. Different species contain different toxins,
therefore treatments will vary.

7. Only eat good specimens. Many poisoning cases occur
when edible species are eaten in poor condition. Only eat good specimens!

8. Keep your collections in the fridge. This keeps your
specimens in good condition.

9. Experimenting. If experimenting and eating a type for
the first time, only eat a small amount. Different people react to fungi in
different ways and it is safer to test your own body out gently!

10. Alcohol. Avoid drinking alcohol with species you
haven't eaten before and with certain species, e.g. the Common Ink Cap, Coprinus
atramentarius.

11. Fear. Do not feed wild mushrooms to people who don't
want to eat them. Fear can make people sick.

12. Susceptible people. Do not serve wild fungi to young
children, old or sick people. Their resistance may be lower.

13. Greed. Do not large quantities of wild mushrooms in
one sitting. This alone can make you sick.

Stick to these species and you should not go too far
wrong. However, remember that different people react in different ways and you
must be careful. Eating a species on this list does not necessarily mean that
you will not react to it. Do not identify any of these species from these
photographs alone. Always use a good field guide to make your identification.

Note that these photographs are thumbnails. If you
click on them, the full photograph will be displayed.

The Horse Mushroom, Agaricus arvensis Be careful
of confusing it with the Yellow Stainer, Agaricus xanthoderma. This
one smells strongly of iodoform or ink, not aniseed and its flesh (when cut)
stains strongly yellow. The Horse Mushroom will only go yellow on the
outside.

These are a few of the most poisonous species. They can kill
you, taking about 3-6 days to do so if you do not get treated very early.

The Death Cap, Amanita phalloides. This species
causes most of the fatal poisoning cases. First of all, there are breathing
problems and dizziness. Then comes severe vomiting, diarrhoea and
dehydration. After three days, you begin to feel better, but actually your
liver is being destroyed. Death usually happens at least 6 days after
consumption. The Death Cap is not uncommon under oak. Know this species if you are
eating wild fungi!!

The Destroying Angel, Amanita virosa. This causes
the same problems as the Death Cap. There is one old record for it from
Belvoir Park in the 1930's, but it was refound in 1999 in Drum Manor in
Tyrone.

The Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaria. This is not as
poisonous as the last two and has been used by shamans in Siberia in small
doses to induce trances. People with heart problems however could be killed
by it. It is very common in Northern Ireland and should be treated with
caution.

Cortinarius rubellus - deadly!!

These are only a few of the poisonous fungi. There are more
and for this reason, as previously stated, do not experiment with wild fungi
unless you are very sure about your identification.

British Mycological Society: Guides for the Amateur
Mycologist, No.4: Guide for the Kitchen Collector - Preservation and Cooking of
Fungi by Dave Shorten. Available from the British Mycological Society.

On the web, just do a search on a species, e.g. searching on
"Morel" or "Cep" brings up lots of recipes!

If you're really into edible wild fungi, why not buy a
log on which the Oyster Mushroom or Shitake will fruit for three years in
your own garden? Why not buy a sapling already "infected" with Lactarius
deliciosusor the Black Truffle? Or buy some Shaggy Ink Cap,
Parasol Mushroom or Field Mushroom in a patch that you put into your lawn
for autumn fruiting? It is possible to buy these from various internet
sites - google them!